By Anthony Marcus, correspondent. Eurasia Business News, January 26, 2025. Article n°1400.
Earth’s magnetic north pole is currently undergoing a significant shift, moving towards Siberia and raising questions among scientists about the unusual nature of this movement. As of January 2025, the latest update from the World Magnetic Model (WMM) indicates that the magnetic north pole is now closer to Siberia than it was five years ago, continuing its drift away from Canada.
A new version of the model is updated every five years by the WMM to address changes in Earth’s magnetic field. The current version (WMM2025) was released on December 17, 2024, and will remain valid until late 2029.
Key Points About the Shift
Accelerated Movement: The magnetic north pole has been shifting at an accelerated pace, moving approximately 25 kilometers per year towards Siberia. This marks a notable increase from earlier decades when the rate was around 6 miles per year, peaking at 55 kilometers per year during the 2010s.
Implications for Navigation: This movement has significant implications for global navigation systems, including GPS used in aviation and maritime operations. Accurate navigation relies on understanding the position of magnetic north, which necessitates regular updates to models like the WMM.
Underlying Causes: Scientists attribute the pole’s movement to changes in the Earth’s outer core, where molten iron flows create variations in the magnetic field. The strength of the magnetic field is decreasing in Canada while increasing in Siberia, which is believed to be pulling the magnetic north pole towards Russia.
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Unusual Behavior: The current behavior of the magnetic north pole is unprecedented, leading to debates among researchers regarding its causes. Some suggest that changes in core flow dynamics and magnetic field strength are influencing this unusual speed and direction.
Future Predictions
Researchers anticipate that while the magnetic north pole will continue to drift towards Siberia, its speed may fluctuate. There is uncertainty about whether it will maintain its current pace or accelerate again in the future. The next scheduled update for the WMM is expected in 2030, but scientists will continue to monitor changes closely.
Over the past 200 years, Earth’s magnetic field has weakened by about 9%, which could indicate that another pole reversal is coming.
These reversals are random with no apparent periodicity to their occurrence. They can happen as often as every 10 thousand years or so and as infrequently as every 50 million years or more. The last reversal was about 780,000 years ago, reports the U.S. Geological Survey.
In summary, the ongoing shift of Earth’s magnetic north pole towards Siberia poses challenges for navigation systems and raises intriguing questions about geophysical processes within our planet.
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© Copyright 2025 – Eurasia Business News. Article no. 1400.
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